The standard practice of repairing leaks in high pressure lines and refrigeration tubing, both consumer and industrial, typically requires that the fluid be drained from the line prior to repair. This is due to the high pressure in refrigeration systems and the nature of the chemicals and refrigerants involved. Careful draining of the line to be repaired is time-consuming and expensive. Also, the draining of refrigerant chemicals can result in contamination of the systems and the environment as well as the loss of expensive refrigerant chemicals.
The present invention proposes to solve these time consuming and expensive procedures which pose environmental hazards by providing a method by which high-pressure refrigeration lines and/or air conditioning tubing may be repaired while remaining under high pressure and without draining the lines or tubing. A chambered leak repairing device and method is taught in which a leak in any type of tubing, such as copper tubing and the like, is encased in a chamber that is sealed and left on the line for the life of the system. The chambered leak repairing device may be applied to straight tubing, or tubing having fittings such as 90 or 45 degree turns, tees, or reducing tees. The device may be sealed by compressing a gasket between housing-to-housing portions and housing-to-tubing portions around the tubing to be repaired. Alternately, a leak repairing device may be sealed by brazing/soldering housing-to-housing portions and housing-to-tubing portions. A mixed strategy of gasket/packing and brazing/soldering could be utilized.
A gasket used to seal the chambered leak repairing device should be of a material, such as Teflon.RTM., that is able to withstand contact with refrigerant chemicals, high pressure, possibly high temperature and the outside elements without disintegrating over the life of the system. A variety of brazing and/or soldering methodologies may be employed. However, a low temperature soldering is preferred.
The chambered leak repairing device and method of this invention discloses a means for puncturing the tubing to be repaired subsequent to sealing a chamber around a leaking portion of such tubing. The tubing may be under high or low pressure. Means for puncturing the tubing to be repaired will reduce any pressure differentials that might arise between the chamber and a small leaking portion of the tubing.
The device and method of this invention may also provide for a bleed port to vent leaking pressurized fluid while the housing is being sealed around a leaking portion. A vent port structure can be incorporated with a puncturing device to advance and puncture the tubing subsequent to securing the chamber around the tubing. The device and method of this invention may be applied to tubing of between about 1/8 inch OD to about 3 inch OD that could be encountered in refrigeration lines and/or tubing and air conditioning.
When installed on a portion of leaking tubing, the device and method of the present invention becomes a permanent attachment to the tubing.